Chinese weatherman struck by lightning while filming a live show

We've all had one of those days when work didn't turn out as expected. But for this man, changes happened in a flash.

A weather anchor made headlines across China today after being hit by lightning during his live programme.

Xiao Dong, from Dalian, was reporting in a thunderstorm on a rooftop when he was struck yesterday morning, according to a video report on People's Daily Online.

Luckily, he was struck by the sparks, not the bolt of the lightning, so did not sustain major injuries, according to the Daily Mail.

After being hit, Xiao Dong said his arms, hands and fingers felt numb - as if "ants were crawling over them". He also reported pain in his palm.

Xiao Dong was holding an umbrella with a metal handle as he reported in the storm. It's believed the metal handle attracted the electric charge.

The cameraman was holding an umbrella with a wooden handle, and he was not hit.

A video of the event was shared by Dalian Meteorological Bureau on its official social media account yesterday afternoon.

According to the 20-second video, Xiao Dong was standing in heavy rain as he reported live on Dalian TV.

The sky suddenly became bright and a lightning bolt struck. Xiao Dong appeared to be hit and he immediately threw away his umbrella.